


You Feel

by cicadas



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Crew as Family, Empathy, Friendship, Gen, Pain, Therapy (in a way), shared feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-16 18:36:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11834634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cicadas/pseuds/cicadas
Summary: "I am not a healer. I cannot take pain away, but I can share it with the sufferer. I can...understand"Rocket goes to Mantis for help. Mantis feels too much.





	You Feel

Rocket had approached her slowly, as if he was scared of her. Scared of asking.

When he did, she had smiled softly, in the way Groot showed her, murmuring 'I am Groot' in what she believed was encouragement.

"I am not a healer. I cannot take pain away, but I can share it with the sufferer. I can...understand" She had said.

Rocket nodded curtly. He straightened his back, and held his short arm out to her. Mirroring his movement, Mantis leaned forward, and wrapped her fingers gently around his paw, palm pressed against the bolts embedded in his knuckles.

 

First, there was a feeling of vertigo. Too big for her body.

Then, agony.

Mantis clutched her stomach as a jolt of what she supposed was electricity spread through her body, reaching from the fingernails digging into Rocket's hand to the thick tissue of her lungs.

Horrible, horrible, horrible feelings sprouted there.

Guilt.

Regret.

Pain.

 _Sorrow.pain.guilt.regret_.

Mantis focused. Harder than she had ever had to, harder than when her mind had to be thinking only 'sleep ego sleep, sleep sleep ego you monster'

The sorrow was sharp, stabbing at her in bursts, much different from the slow rumble of Drax's loss. Lonely. She felt alone. Scared.

She was a small girl again, waiting for Ego to return, give her her rations for the night and tell her to put him to sleep so she may do so herself. She was hurting like she was when Ego hit her the first time, shocked and frightened and confused. She felt rage, when he had destroyed the garden she tried to tend to, shouting 'my world my plants do not do not touch do not', and she had wanted to fight, to scream and hit and destroy, but she stayed still and silent. She was small. She was helpless.

She felt horrible. She felt everything.

She felt- Rocket. Lone. Small. Angry.

Guilt. Hurt.

Deep, deep down, under the layers of hurt flooding in through the link she had with her new friend, there was a real pain. A true pain. A physical pain.

One she could not connect with.

Different from the links to memories, to tables of hard cold metals and very sharp things and cages too small and the feeling of _alone_ and _help_ and _want_ and _dead_.

 _Calm peace loved family_ was sent back, and Rocket pulled away.

 

Mantis stayed.

"You are hurting, Rocket. There is something wrong, in your body. Surely your friends would help you if you asked them?" She said. Quiet, soothing.

Rocket grimaced.

"You're right. There is something wrong with my body- the whole fucking thing" He said. He barked out a laugh. She detected no humor.

Mantis opened her mouth, but Rocket raised his voice, quieting her.

"I don't need a doctor, bug lady. I just needed...Ah, fuck it. It's not your fault." He took a sharp breath. "Thanks for the therapy session. Just- Don't tell the others, okay?"

 

Mantis wanted to say she would not promise this. She wanted to help all she could, she wanted there to be no limits to what she could do to aid her friends.

But she nodded her head, and Rocket nodded back, curt, short, and left.

"I will not tell them, Rocket."

In her mind, she saw needles, black ointment and cages.  
In Rocket's retreating form, she saw destruction.


End file.
